Air conditioning



Feb. 20, 1962 R. s. GAUGLER AIR CONDITlONING Filed March 20, 1961 IN VEN TOR.

BY ic/mrd .5. Gaug/er d is Attorney Fig. 2

United States Patent 3,li2l ,o2 AER CGNDETHONING Richard 3. Gangier, Dayton, @hio, assignor to General Motors ilorporation, Detroit, Mich a corporation of Delaware Filed 2t), 1%1, Ser. No. 97,054 It) Claims. (Cl. 62-271) This invention relates to air conditioning and particularly to removing odors from a room or the like being conditioned by cooled air.

Heretofore there has been considerable activity in the air cooling and conditioning field of providing odor removing devices for use in connection with room or the like air conditioning units. Many of these devices have been in the form of a filter or filter-like bed containing adsorption material such as activated charcoal, silica gel or activated alumina. All filters or filter-like beds of this type have limited life and consequently have to be frequently replaced or at least periodically removed from the air conditioning apparatus or unit and cleaned and regenerated. I contemplate the provision in an air conditioning apparatus or unit of a device for removing odors from the air of a room or the like to be conditioned which device is automatically and continuously regenerated so as to eliminate waste of such a device or the laborious time-consuming act of manually removing, cleaning and regenerating same.

An object of my invention is to provide an air conditioning apparatus or unit in which air circulated therethrough is deodorized in an improved fashion.

Another object of my invention is to provide an odor adsorbing means or element in an air cooling apparatus or unit that is continuously regenerated so as to prolong its effectiveness, eliminate its frequent replacement and obviate periodical removal thereof from the apparatus or unit for regeneration.

Still another object of my invention is to provide an odor adsorbing means or element for an air conditioning apparatus or unit that has a portion thereof normally disposed in contact with a stream of chilled air circulated from a first chamber of the apparatus or unit into a room or the like and which portion of the element is shiftable out of the first chamber into a second chamber of the unit and heated therein to liberate odors adsorbed from the chilled air into air ambient the room or into a stream of air outside the room circulated through the second chamber whereby the portion of the element is regenerated and readied to be shifted back into the first chamber.

In carrying out the foregoing objects, it is a more specific object of my invention to provide odor adsorbing means within an air conditioning apparatus or unit in the form of a special treated endless belt rotatable into and out of different chambers of the unit for removing odors from a cool stream of air circulated through one chamber of the unit into a zone or room to be conditioned by cool air and for liberating the odors adsorbed thereby therefrom within the other chamber of the unit so as to dissipate the liberated odors remote from the conditioned air stream preferably into air outside the room.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein a preferred embodiment of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings: i

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary sectional view showing an air conditioning apparatus or unit embodying my invention installed within and projecting through an opening in a wall of a room or the like to be conditioned; and

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to FIGURE 1 taken along the line 2--2 thereof and shows an endless belt odor adsorbing element in the air conditioning apparatus or unit.

Referring to the drawings, which are of an illustrative character only for an understanding of the present invention, I show in FIGURE 1 thereof a schematic arrangement of an air conditioning apparatus or unit, generally represented by the reference numeral 1d, installed within and projecting through an opening in a wall 11 of a room 12 of a home or building The area designated by the numeral 14 adjacent wall 11 and opposite room 12 represents air ambient to the room. The opening in wall 11 may be especially prepared for the apparatus or unit or it may be a window or the like opening already present in the wall. Any one of several now conventional arrangements (not shown) may be employed to mount and support unit 10 within the opening in wall 11.

The air conditioning apparatus or unit 10 comprises a housing or casing 15 which closes the opening in wall 11 and forms a part of this wall. Housing or casing 15 has a vertical partition 16 therein dividing the interior thereof into a first chamber 17 and a second chamber 18. The one or first chamber 17 of unit 10 is further partitioned, by a horizontal Wall 19, into an upper compartment and a lower compartment. Air inlet passages or openings 21 are provided in the lower portion of casing 15 and air outlet passages, openings or'adjustable louvers 22 are provided in the upper portion of the cas-v ing. Air from room 12 is adapted to flow into the lower compartment in chamber 17 through the inlet openings Eli, into the upper compartment in chamber 17 and back into the room by way of the outlet openings 22. The

other or second chamber 18 of unit It! is vented to air I ambient room 12 and is preferably provided with air inlet openings 2-2 and air outlet openings 24. Housing 15 of unit It) contains a refrigerating system including a finned-type refrigerant evaporator 26, a motor-compressor sealed in a casing 27 and a finned-type refrigerant condenser 28. The elements 26, 27 and 28 of the refrigerating system are connected to one another in closed refrigerant flow circuit relationship by pipes or conduits 31, 32 and 33 as is conventional in the art. Any suitable switches or the like may be employed to control operation of the refrigerating system as is also conventional in the art. The refrigerant evaporator 26 is disposed and supported in thelower compartment of chamber 17 of unit 10 and both the motor-compressor casing 27 and the refrigerant condenser 28 are disposed and supported in chamber 18 of the unit. An electric motor 36 is suspendingly supported Within chamber 18 from a ledge or platform 37 secured to partition 16 and braced by an angle iron or channel member 38. A shaft 41 extends outwardly from both ends of motor 36 and carries thereon two air moving means in the form of a fan or blower 42 within chamber 18 and a fan or blower 43 within chamber 17. It is to be noted that shaft 41 projects through a hole provided therefor in partitioning means 16 into chamber 17 so as to position blower 43 therein. A portion of blower 43 registers with and projects through an aperture 44 provided in divider wall 19. Suitable wire or the like electric current conductors (not shown) are of course connected to casing 27 to convey current to the motor therein, connected to motor 36, to the control or controls for the refrigerating system and to other electrically energizable means within housing or casing 15 of unit 10 and to be hereinafter described.

When the motor in casing 27 is energized, the compressor of the refrigerating system is operated thereby to draw vaporized or evaporated refrigerant from evaporator 26, through conduit 32, into the compressor which compresses and forwards same, by Way of conduit 33, into the condenser 28. The compressed refrigerant is cooled and liquified in condenser 28 and the liquid refrigerant is directed through conduit 31 and. a suitable expansion valve or restrictor (not shown) into the evaporator 26 for revaporization therein. Simultaneously with operation of the refrigerating system or upon a specific other demand, motor 36 is energized to rotate shaft 41 and consequently the fans or blowers 42 and 43. Operation of the blowers causes blower 4-3 to circulate air from room 12 into chamber 17 through the inlet passages 21 in casing or housing 15 over or across evaporator 26. The evaporator 26 chills the room air to a predetermined low temperature and blower 45 expels the chilled air from the lower compartment in chamber 17 into the upper compartment therein by way of aperture 44- whereupon a chilled air stream is directed, through the passages or louvers 22, back into room 12 to cool its interior and render occupants thereof comfortable particularly during hot weather. This first chilled circulated air stream is preferably insulated from contact with partition 16 and housing 15 by insulating material (not shown) lining the interior surfaces of walls thereof. At the same time the chilled air stream is established for cooling the interior of room 12 a second air stream is created through chamber 18 of unit by blower 42. Blower 432 draws air ambient room 12 into chamber 18 of casing or housing through the plurality of inlet openings or passages 23 and forces the air over or across condenser 23 to cool, condense and liquify refrigerant therein and which air is then discharged out of unit 14 by way of the air outlet passages 24. Heat generated by casing 27, containing the motor-compressor unit, and heat generated by motor 36 is removed from the apparatus or unit 16 by this secondly established air stream. The first or chilled air stream is usually filtered as it circulates through chamber 17 in casing 15 so as to remove particles of dust and the like therefrom but few if any such units 10 are equipped with means to remove odors from room 12 by the circulating cool air stream.

In air conditioning apparatuses or units of the type disclosed air withdrawn from a room or the like cooled and returned thereto carries odors that are emitted into the room. For example, the room may contain various odors caused by occupants thereof smoking pipes, cigarettes or cigars which odors are obnoxious and objectionable to other people within or upon their entry into the room. My invention therefore primarily relates to a room or the like air conditioner or unit provided with means for removing odors from the room air prior to circulating conditioned air back into the room and for liberating or transferring the removed odors to air ambient the room. More specifically, the present application deals with providing an air conditioning apparatus or unit with an odor removing means or element movable into and out of a stream of air circulated through the unit which adsorbs odors while being contacted by the air of the stream and which is automatically regenerated upon being moved out of the air stream to thereby render same effective to again adsorb odors when it is returned and exposed thereto.

In the instant disclosure I mount a box or housing 51 upon a wall of casing 15 of unit 10 in any suitable or desirable manner to position same within the upper compartment, provided by wall 19, of chamber 17 thereof. An electric motor 52 is supported on box 51 with its shaft projecting thereinto. This motor 52 is preferably a clock motor or a motor provided with timed rotations which are conventional and obtainable on the open market so as to regulate revolutions and/or movements of an element to be driven thereby. I also support a roller 53 on box 51 which roller has a driving shaft therefor projected into the box. The end of shaft of motor 52 and the end of shaft of roller 53 are each provided with a gear meshing with one another or are each provided with a sprocket or cogwheel and an endless chain. Motor 52 is adapted, upon being energized, to rotate roller 53 through the driving gears or cogwheels and chain in a manner conventional to those skilled in the art, therefore this driving arrangement is'not herein shown and needs no further or detailed description. Platform 37 within chamber 18 of casing 15 of unit 16 carries a pad constructed of insulating material and a plurality of platens or rollers 55 are mounted thereon. Rollers or platens 55 are preferably arranged in misalignment or staggered relative to one another. An element or endless belt 56 is looped around roller 53 driven by motor 52 and one of the rollers 55 remote therefrom and the belt is guided by the other of rollers 55 through apertures, slits or slots 57 provided in partitioning means or wall 16. Thus endless element or belt 56 has a portion or portions disposed within the upper compartment of chamber 17 in casing 15 of unit it) and has another portion or portions thereof disposed within chamber 18 of the apparatus or unit. In other words a portion or portions of endless belt 56 is or are exposed to or contacted by a first chilled air stream circulated through chamber 17 of unit it) and another portion or portions of the belt is or are located in vented chamber 18 and exposed to a second stream of air circulated therethrough. Element or endless belt 56 is adapted to form means within casing 15 of the air conditioning apparatus or unit it for removing odors from the circulated air stream directed into room 12. and for dissipating the odors to air outside the room. It is to be understood that one or more of the platens or rollers 55 is or are heated in any suitable fashion and the heated rollers thereby provide means for heating portions of endless belt 56 within chamber 18 of the unit 1%. Electrically heated platens or rollers is a common and wellknown expedient and for this reason the specific construction of platens or rollers 55, together with the arrangement to conduct electric current to heaters therein for energizing same to heat the rollers, is not therefore shown nor described in detail herein. Any desired or suitable arrangement may be utilized to heat the rollers 55 such, for example, as that employed to electrically heat the pressing drum in the I. Denemark Patent No. 1,337,204, dated April 20, 1920. If a positive drive connection between roller 53, driven by motor 52, and the endless belt 56 is desired, it is to be understood that this roller may be provided with a sprocket-like wheel having cogs thereon to register with and receive spaced-apart perforations in the belt. A positive drive of this character is conventional and well known to those skilled in the art and is therefore not shown herein. The element or endless belt 56 is adapted to adsorb odors from the I air stream circulated through chamber 17 in the cool side of unit 10 and to give up its adsorbed odors within the warm or hot side, chamber 18, thereof. In order to render the belt capable of doing this element or endless belt 56 may be constructed of thin sheet aluminum alloy which has been anodized throughout its length to produce thereon a tightly adhering aluminum oxide film possessed of good adsorbent properties. If it is desired to employ activated carbon in the form of charcoal or the like as the odor adsorbent means instead of aluminum oxide the element or endless belt 56 can be made of a plastic film or a fabric which supports granules of activated carbon throughout its length. Also, a similar construction of the belt may carry silica gel. All these materials are well known for their odor adsorbent property and for their capability of being frequently heated and regenerated to dissipate or liberate odors adsorbed thereby.

Having described the arrangement of my odor adsorbing means for the air cooling and conditioning apparatus or unit, operation of this arrangement in unit It) will now be explained. When the refrigerating system Within unit 10 is placed in operation, electric timer motor 52 and the electric heater within one or more of the rollers 55 are simultaneously energized. Energization of motor 52 drives rollers 53, through the suitable gears or chain drive as previously stated, and rotation of this roller frictionally or otherwise rotates element or endless belt 56 in timed fashion or speed with its revolutions controlled by motor 52. As belt 56 is revolved by roller 53 about the other platens or rollers 55 these other rollers are rotated thereby for, in addition to guiding the endless belt, passing same over and into contact with those platens or rollers now being heated. The air chilled by evaporator 26 is circulated, by blower 43, in a first stream over element or belt 56 prior to flowing out of casing 15 of unit into the room 12 to be cooled or conditioned. The circulated chilled air thereby directly contacts the odor adsorbing material on portions of element or belt 56 located within the upper compartment of chamber 17 in casing and this material will, by adsorption, remove odors carried by air entering unit lit) from room 12 therefrom before the air of the first or chilled stream thereof is directed back into the room. Odors adsorbed by the material on a portion or portions of element or endless belt 56 within cool side or chamber of unit 10 are as the belt rotates, through slits or slots 57 in partition 16, transferred into the warm side or chamber 18 of the unit into and out of which the other or second air stream is circulated. While the odor ladened portion or portions of element or belt 56 are located in chamber 18 of casing 15 of unit it and as the belt is revolved about one or more heated rollers 55 therein the odor adsorbing material on the portion or portions of element or endless belt 56 is warmed. This warming or heating of the adsorbent material on the portion or portions of endless belt 56 causes odors adsorbed thereby to be driven or liberated therefrom into chamber 18 so that they can be dissipated from the chamber or unit id to air outside room 12. Chamber 18 may be vented to air 14 exteriorly of room 12 and, as herein disclosed, the second stream of air circulated therethrough by fan or blower 42 picks up the liberated odors and expels them along with air out of unit it). The heating of the odor adsorbing material on or carried by element or belt 56, in addition to liberating odors therefrom, also regenerates or reconditions the material to again render it capable of adsorbing odors. Thus a portion or portions of element or endless belt 56 is revolved about rollers 53 and 55 to shift same out of the cool side of unit 10 into chamber 18 of casing 15 or into the warm side of the unit and to thereafter shift the portion or portions of the odor removing means back into the cool side of the unit for continuously removing odors from room 12 and for continuously regenerating the odor adsorbent material on or carried by the element or belt 56. In this manner the odor adsorbent material or means is completely regenerated prior to its movement into contact with a stream of chilled air utilized for cooling, conditioning and treating the interior of a zone, room or the like. By employing an endless belt-type odor removing means portions thereof are intermittently regenerated while other active portions of same are effective to remove odors from circulated air and in this manner an air conditioning apparatus or unit is provided with a substantially permanent odor adsorbing device. Since in the arrangement disclosed the odor removing means is operative by the separate electric timer or motor, it may be controlled independently of other elements of unit 10 and rendered operative by the user thereof as conditions of odor removal occur. While I show the endless belt in the present illustration as revolving in a single return path in the cool side or cooling chamber of unit 10 it is to be understood that this belt in an actual installation may make numerous return paths to expose sufiicient active area thereof to the air to be purified.

It should, from the foregoing, be apparent that I have provided an improved apparatus for conditioning or treating air in a zone and from which zone odors are effeca 6 tively removed. By continuously heating and liberating odors from a shiftable element as disclosed, the element is regenerated without attention by the user of the air conditioning apparatus or unit and this eliminates the necessity of manually removing an odor adsorbing filter bed or the like to replace same and to clean and regenerate it. In removing odors from a room with a conditioning apparatus equipped with my improved arrangement the air therein, regardless of whether it is cooled or merely treated in some fashion, is maintained in a purified, odorless state and is nonobjectionable to occupants thereof.

While the embodiment of the present invention as herein disclosed constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. in combination, an air conditioning unit having a partition therein dividing the interior thereof into a first chamber and a second chamber, means for circulating air through said first chamber to and fro a zone to be conditioned thereby, means within said unit adapted to remove odors from air contacted thereby prior to circulating air out of said first chamber into said zone, said odor removing means comprising a continuously dry endless belt rotatably mounted in said unit, said belt having substantially all of its air contacting surfaces within said first chamber disposed in parallel relation with respect to air circulated therethrough whereby the air is caused to flow transversely across and in contact with both sides ofthe belt, means for rotating said belt to shift said surfaces thereof out of said first chamber through said partition into said second chamber, said surfaces of said belt carrying odor adsorbing material thereon, means for liberating odors from said belt surfaces after shifting them out of contact with air in said first chamber into said second chamber of said unit, and said odor liberating means regenerating said material before said belt surfaces are shifted from said second chamber back into said first chamber by said rotating means.

2. The combination defined by claim 1 wherein the belt is formed of thin sheet metal and has its side surfaces treated to provide an odor adsorbent film thereon.

3. In combination, an air conditioning unit having a partition therein dividing the interior thereof into a first chamber and a second chamber, means for circulating air through said first chamber to and fro a zone to be conditioned thereby, means within said unit adapted to remove odors from air contacted thereby prior to circulating air out of said first chamber into said zone, said odor removing means comprising a continuously dry endless belt rotatably mounted in said unit with all portions thereof movable only in horizontal planes therein, said belt having at least two impermeable surfaces within said first chamber disposed in parallel relation with respect to air circulated therethrough whereby the air is caused to flow transversely across and in contact with both sur faces of the belt, means for rotating said belt to shift said surfaces thereof out of said first chamber through said partition into said second chamber, said surfaces of said belt carrying odor adsorbing material thereon, means for liberating odors from said belt surfaces after shifting them out of contact with air in said first chamber into said second chamber of said unit, and said odor liberating means regenerating said material before said belt surfaces are shifted from said second chamber back into said first chamber by said rotating means.

4. The combination defined by claim 3 wherein the belt is formed of thin sheet metal and has its surfaces treated to provide an odor adsorbent film thereon.

5. The combination defined by claim 3 wherein the belt at all times presents four impermeable surfaces to the interior of the first chamber for contact by air circulated therethrough.

6. In an apparatus for conditioning air in a room or the like comprising, a casing provided with a partition dividingithe interior thereof into a first chamber having spacedapart air inlet and outlet passages communicating with said room and a second chamber horizontally aligned with said first chamber and at least vented to air outside the room, a refrigerating system for said apparatus including a refrigerant evaporator within said first chamber, a refrigerant translating device within said second horizontally aligned chamber and conduits connecting said evaporator and device in closed refrigerant flow circuit relationship, air moving means for circulating air from said room into said first chamber over said evaporator to chill the air and for circulating the chilled air out of said first chamber into the room, means within said casing for removing odors from the chilled circulated air, said odor removing means being in the form of a continuously dry endless belt disposed wholly above said evaporator and said device, said endless belt having one portion located in said first chamber and another portion extending through an aperture in said partition and located in said second chamber, said portions of said belt carrying odor adsorbing material thereon, the portion of said belt within said first chamber above the evaporator therein having impermeable surfaces disposed in parallel relation with respect to air circulated through the first chamber whereby the air is caused to flow transversely across and in contact with both sides of the belt, means for rotating said endless belt to shift said one portion thereof out of said first chamber into said second chamber and its said another portion out of said second chamber into the first chamber, means within said second chamber associated with that portion of said belt therein for liberating odors from said material on surfaces thereof while the belt is in its normal dry condition and for dissipating the odors to air exteriorly of said room, and said belt rotating means thereafter shifting said one portion of the belt back into said first chamber and said another portion thereof back into said vented second chamber of the casing. v

7. In an apparatus as defined by claim 6 wherein the belt is formed of thin sheet metal having its impermeable surfaces treated to provide an odor adsorbent film thereon.

8. In an apparatus as defined by claim 6 wherein the belt at all times presents four impermeable odor adsorbing surfaces to air circulated through the first chamber.

9. In an apparatus for conditioning air in a room or the 45 like comprising, a casing provided with a partition dividing the interior thereof into a first chamber having spacedapart air inlet and outlet passages communicating with said room and a second chamber horizontally aligned with said first chamber and at least vented to air outside the room, a refrigerating system for said apparatus including a refrigerant evaporator within said first chamher, a refrigerant translating device within said second horizontally aligned chamber and conduits connecting said evaporator and device in closed refrigerant flow cir cuit relationship, air moving means for circulating air from said room into said first chamber over said evaporator to chill the air and for circulating the chilled air out of said first chamber into the room, means within said casing for removing odors from the chilled circulated air, said odor removing means being in the form of a continuously dry endless belt looped around vertically mounted rollers disposed wholly above said evaporator and said device, one portion of said endless belt being located within said first chamber and disposed in parallel relation with respect to air circulated therethrough whereby the air is caused to flow transversely across and in contact with both sides of the belt, another portion of said belt extending through an aperture in said partition and located within said second chamber, said portions of said belt carrying odor adsorbing material thereon, means for driving one of said rollers to cause rotation of said belt only in a. horizontal direction about the roller to shift said one portion of the belt out of said first chamber into said second chamber and said another portion of the belt out of said second chamber into the first chamber, means for electrically heating a roller in said second chamber to directly warm said shifted one portion of the belt therein "for liberating odors from said material thereon and dissipating them to air exteriorly of said room, and the warming of said belt regenerating said odor adsorbing material while the belt is in its normal dry condition and prior to rotating said one portion of said belt back into said first chamber.

10. In an apparatus as defined by claim 9 wherein the belt is constructed of sheet aluminum alloy with its surfaces anodized to provide an aluminum oxide odor adsorbent film thereon.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

